Pairing one of today’s most gifted jazz guitarists (Anthony Pirog) with one of rock ‘n’ roll’s fiercest rhythm sections (Brendan Canty and Joe Lally) was always going to be a recipe for success, but on their sophomore LP Anthropocosmic Nest, Washington, D.C.’s The Messthetics are blowing past the old goals and delivering one of the most raucous and satisfying releases of the year. Wildly inventive with surprises awaiting the listener at every turn, Nest is an ecstatic proclamation of skronk-and-circumstance that says not only are The Messthetics BACK, but they’re here to stay!

In 2017, Country was king, and there was no more significant player than Chris Stapleton. For the follow up to his Grammy-winning 2015 album Traveller, Stapleton teamed up again with producer Dave Cobb - the new proprietor of the historic Studio A in Nashville - to craft a record that was worthy of that room's history.

The result was a two-part LP that represents the scope of Stapleton's musical identity. Where Volume 1, was a collection of newer songs, and an extension of his work on his debut, Volume 2, finds Stapleton not just mining his own past as a songwriting by putting to wax some of his oldest songs, but his history as a music fan through some choice covers.

Join Kevin, Marcus, and Eduardo as we finish out our album reviews for 2017 on a high note, talking about Chris Stapleton's powerful sophomore release, From A Room.